Christina Ozturk always knew she wanted a big family. She and millionaire husband, Galip, 57, decided to grow their family by having 20 children within 14 months – and say they might even have 100.
Christina Ozturk, 23, who is originally from Moscow, was ᴀ sɪɴɢʟᴇ mother when she decided to take a break by going to the sea in Batumi.The popular tourism destination at the foot of the Caucasus is often referred to as the ‘Las Vegas of the Black Sea’. She said it was ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴀᴛ ғɪʀsᴛ sɪɢʜᴛ when she met Galip Ozturk, 56, a property and transport magnate ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ғʀᴏᴍ Tᴜʀᴋᴇʏ, on the first day there, and described him as her mentor, guide and fairytale prince all rolled into one. Agreeing it was ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴀᴛ ғɪʀsᴛ sɪɢʜᴛ, Galip added: “She is so easy to be with, she always has a smile on her lips and yet at the same time is sʜʏ and ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀɪᴏᴜs. She was the kind of wife I always wanted for myself, an uncut diamond where I saw what a pure and kind heart she had.”
Things progressed quickly for the couple, with Christina and her young daughter Vika moving to Batumi to be with Galip. Christina said that despite the fact Galip was ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ her, and had adult children of his ᴏᴡɴ, he had no objections to having a large family. The couple agreed that they wanted as many children as they could. Christina said they were originally preparing to have a baby every year, however quickly realised that her ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ was ɴᴏᴛ enough to meet their demands. They decided to use sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀs, which costs around $9,707 each ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. The couple have spent £138,000 on sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴄʏ ᴏᴠᴇʀ the last year in order to have 20 babies together.
The sᴛᴀᴛᴇ of Gᴇᴏʀɢɪᴀ has allowed sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴄʏ since 1997 as long as the couple involved are ʜᴇᴛᴇʀᴏsᴇxᴜᴀʟ and ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ. The child that is born ᴀᴜᴛᴏᴍᴀᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ goes to the people who provided the ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɪᴀʟ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ , and the sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴛᴇ does ɴᴏᴛ have ᴀɴʏ ʀɪɢʜᴛs. All of Christina’s ᴘᴏᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴛᴇs go through counselling and sɪɢɴ ʟᴇɢᴀʟ ᴘᴀᴘᴇʀᴡᴏʀᴋ before becoming ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with children that are ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ from Christina and her husband. Only young women who’ve already had at least ᴏɴᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ are chosen, and checks are made to ensure that they ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ have any ʙᴀᴅ ʜᴀʙɪᴛs or ᴀᴅᴅɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴs before joining the programme. The women are given ᴘsʏᴄʜᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴜɴsᴇʟʟɪɴɢ to make sure that they are ready and prepared for the challenge, which will include ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ the baby when it’s born.
Christina said: “The ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ ɪɴ Bᴀᴛᴜᴍɪ chooses sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀs for us and takes full responsibility for the process. We are ɴᴏᴛ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ ᴀᴄǫᴜᴀɪɴᴛᴇᴅ with sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀs and do ɴᴏᴛ have ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛs with them in order to ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs after ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. All communication takes place through the ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ, we only monitor ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ɪɴᴅɪᴄᴀᴛᴏʀs, I make up a dietary menu for mothers so that the food is complete, I look at the ᴛᴇsᴛ ʀᴇsᴜʟᴛs. At the moment, I have 10 children with the latest addition, Olivia, who arrived at the end of last month. I gave birth to my eldest daughter Vika myself six years ago. The rest of the children are ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴏᴜʀs from my husband and I, but were ᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ by sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴛᴇs .”
Christina claims to do most of the day-to-day childcare herself and makes sure she spends each day giving care and attention to her babies. However she also admitted looking after such a large number of children at once has proven more difficult than she thought it would be. They splash out £67,700 a year on 16 nannies who care for their babies 24/7, and their household isn’t even complete yet. She said: “I spend the maximum amount of time with my children, but when I’m ɴᴏᴛ with them, I control everything. I teach each nanny independently when applying for a job – no amateur activity is allowed, the upbringing of children is strictly according to my instructions. I has ᴀ sᴛʀɪᴄᴛ ʀᴏᴜᴛɪɴᴇ for ᴅᴇᴀʟɪɴɢ with children who are crying. If the child begins to cry, I ғᴏʀʙɪᴅ you to take him in your arms. Instead she said the child should be ‘ᴅɪsᴛʀᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ’ in order to ‘calm dᴏᴡɴ.” Each child has a diary that records all the details of his life – what we ate, how much we ate, how I slept, how I walked, how many went to the toilet, how many were crying, what changes happened with the body. After putting the children dᴏᴡɴ to bed, I works on household chores like making sure the food is in, scheduling menus and ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ᴀᴘᴘᴏɪɴᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs.”
She added:” I ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ know how many they will eventually be, but we certainly ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ plan to stop at ten. We just ɴᴏᴛ ready to talk about the final number. Everything has its time. We feel happy with my bigs family.”
